The surname Cornege is a Welsh name that was first held when the Cornege family lived in the English county of Cornwall. As a general rule, the greater the distance between individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Consequently, the name Cornege was not originally applied to a lifelong resident of Cornwall, but rather to someone who emigrated from Cornwall to another region.

Early History of the Cornege family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornege research.Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1375, 1450, 1465, 1523, 1685, 1677 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Cornege History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornege Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Cornege has seen various spelling variations: Cornish, Cornishe, Corniss, Cornise, Carnish, Cornich, Corniche, Cornick and many more.

Early Notables of the Cornege family (pre 1700)

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Cornysh the Younger (also spelled Cornyshe or Cornish) (1465-1523), an English composer, dramatist, actor, and poet. His only surviving poem, was written in Fleet Prison. Henry Cornish (died 1685), was a London Alderman of the ward... Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cornege Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cornege family to the New World and Oceana

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Cornege Samuel Cornish was one of the first settlers in North America, settling in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1637; and James Cornish was the first Schoolmaster and Town Clerk in Westfield, Massachusetts..